CHAPTER 4 — Escape
224 Words
The bus station was loud, crowded, and indifferent.
Amara sat alone on a metal bench, her fingers gripping the strap of her small bag so tightly her knuckles turned pale. Around her, people moved with purpose—laughing, arguing, living.
But she felt disconnected from all of it.
Like she no longer belonged anywhere.
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Her phone buzzed once.
She froze.
For a moment, hope flickered.
Then she shook her head and turned it off.
There was no one who would call her.
No one who cared enough to stop her from leaving.
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Ethan’s voice echoed in her mind.
“It was a transaction.”
Her chest tightened.
Even now, it hurt.
Not because of what happened—
But because of how easily he erased her.
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“Last bus leaving!” a voice shouted.
Amara stood slowly.
This was it.
No turning back.
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As she stepped onto the bus, she felt something shift inside her.
Fear.
Yes.
But also something else.
Resolve.
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The city lights blurred as the bus pulled away.
Tears slipped down her face, but she didn’t wipe them.
She let herself feel it.
All of it.
The pain.
The humiliation.
The loss.
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Because she knew—
When this journey ended…
She wouldn’t be the same person anymore.
And maybe—
That was exactly what she needed.
- Writer
